Denim Crotch Blowouts – Why They Happen & How to Avoid Them

A guide to help denim heads understand the infamous denim crotch blowout, including ways it can be avoided, delayed, and repaired.

Somar Abdo

Crotch blowouts are inevitable. Pretty much every well-worn pair of jeans will experience a blowout after enough use. Though for many this is just a part of the process that can be dealt with by the owner themselves or a professional, it’s also forced numerous denim wearers to ask why it’s such a ubiquitous and unavoidable issue, and how it can be prevented.

Let’s take a closer look at crotch blowouts, how they happen, and what you can do to avoid them!

What is a Crotch Blowout

A ‘crotch blowout’ is where the crotch of a pair of jeans develops holes and frays. If left unrepaired, these holes become bigger to the point where the jeans are unwearable.

Why do Crotch Blowouts Happen?

Crotch blowouts happen because the crotch is the area of the jeans that endures the most stress during day-to-day wear. The crotch area has to deal with an immense amount of abrasion as a result of much stretching and pulling through normal and everyday activities – i.e., when you walk, when you sit down, etc.

There are, however, several other factors that expedite blowouts:

• Buying your denim (too) tight: Though raw denim will slightly stretch over a period of time, it’s a fairly uncompromising material that has its limits. If you’re buying a pair that is too tight, the tension on the crotch area is stronger, and the chance of a blowout is heightened. As such, it should come as no surprise that we see a connection between slim-fitting jeans and crotch rips and tears.

• Sagging (AKA lowriding) denim: Denim worn very low causes more fabric to bunch around the crotch, thus more stress to the crotch area while moving around. This results in a higher likelihood of blowouts

• Cycling: Cycling is sadly a real crotch cracker. Every time you pedal, a very concentrated amount of friction is created in the crotch area.

• Not washing your denim: While you can lose fading potential if you wash raw denim too soon, not washing your jeans regularly means that grime, dust, and dirt can get caught between denim yarns, leading to higher abrasion. Denim is tough, but when unwashed and worn over a long period of time, it literally becomes weaker and makes the crotch more susceptible to blowouts.

All of this may leave you feeling that crotch blowouts are an undeniable reality, but there are several actions that can be taken to slow their occurrence:

• Early Detection – Detecting a blowout in its infancy allows you to nip it in the bud. Darning thinning areas and fixing loose threads on time is an excellent way to add months (potentially years) to the crotch.

• Looser Fitting Denim – If your denim is roomier, the crotch area will endure less stress and will therefore have a longer life.

• Washing Denim More Regularly – Washing your denim every few months will keep the fibers strong and clean. This will also help avoid the occurrence of blowouts, and contrary to the belief of most, this will have minimal negative effects on your fades, especially if you do so with our Denim Wash.

• Reinforcing Your Crotch – If you need to cycle in your jeans every day, it might be worth reinforcing the crotch. You could do this yourself, but probably best to ask a denim repair specialist like Science & Kindness.

Repairing Crotch Blowouts

Owning less and wearing more does mean that garments will suffer some wounding, but in the case of jeans — and specifically crotch blowouts —those wounds are easily treated through darning.

If you have a sewing machine, you can have a go at repairing a crotch blowout yourself. This is especially accessible if you’re having a go at some premature signs of blowout we were discussing earlier. Our video below shows you how to have a crack at darning with a basic sewing machine.

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If you have a fully fledged blowout as shown in the lead image of this article, it’s best to get a professional to work on your denim to ensure longevity. The crotch can be an awkward area to work on without a darning machine, so if in doubt, seek out a professional.

There are plenty of denim repair services out there that are well-versed in dealing with raw selvedge denim (even in the heavyweight stuff), including:

• Lucky Lost Repairs

• Railcar

• Wearing Denim

• Science and Kindness

• Williamsburg Garment Company

• Indigo Proof

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